Old Boys’ NEWSLETTER
120 YEARS OF MOSMAN PREP EXCELLENCE
BY MR PETER GRIMES | HEADMASTER
On 4 October 1904, Mosman Prep opened for the first time (with 24 boys) under the leadership of Alfred (Tibby) Yarnold The School was established by arrangement between the Parish Council of St. Clement’s Church, Mosman, and the Council of the Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore).
Yarnold was born in India, the son of an English clergyman. He graduated from Shore School as the first prefect, and returned to the School as the first Old Boy to become a teacher. He would eventually be involved in the life of Mosman Prep for more than 50 years.
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Yarnold was an exemplar in work ethic, and a role model of the courtesies and dignity of daily life A strict but fair disciplinarian, he loved the classics and believed in a good grounding in basics and that a focus on sport was paramount He encouraged thoroughness and excellence, giving responsibility to the boys, confidence in public speaking, and supporting a competitive spirit
Yarnold chose the School Motto, Non Nobis Solum: Sed Toti Mundi Nati: ‘We are not born for ourselves alone but for the whole world’. The motto reflects the ethic of obligation and of striving to help others. It places a strong emphasis on developing a sense of community a feature of Mosman Prep from its establishment through to the present day.
The School’s strong community spirit, a recognised hallmark, was no doubt embedded by the Yarnold family influence over more than 70 years, including the 2nd Headmaster being his son in law (Mr E.C. Macdougall), and all four of Mr Yarnold’s daughters holding roles at Mosman Prep at some stage. This community spirit no doubt helped the School survive the challenges of WWI, the Spanish Influenza, and the Great Depression, to be the thriving school community it is today.
A N O U T S T A N D I N G 1 2 0 T H Y E A R
2024, Mosman Prep’s 120th year, was outstanding in so many ways. Highlights included a highly successful Year 6 Japan Tour, winning two out of four trophies in the NSW Parliament schools ‘Bear Pit’ public speaking competition, selected to represent NSW in the Future Problem Solving Finals, winning the Pittwater Shield in Rugby and Cricket, and winning the NBA Schools Basketball competition.
We have once again delivered on our Strategic Initiatives and commitment to being An exceptional boys’ primary school igniting a love of learning and life, as we prepare young boys for their future.
After 28 years of faithful service, Greg McDonald is retiring. On behalf of all Old Boys, past and present families, current families and staff, and the School Council, we thank Greg and Meegan McDonald for their outstanding service to Mosman Prep.
Sentiments from leaving staff members Prep is a place where great things happen It has been such a privilege to be a part of this caring, vibrant community of students, staff and families This is such a special community that will always be a dear place to me.
E X C E P T I O N A L
G R O W T H
This year we achieved the significant milestone of having our Aboriginal Reconciliation Action Plan endorsed by Reconciliation Australia and placed on their website This is something many schools have not yet achieved Student Leadership has been strengthened with inclusion of leadership development days for Year 5 and 6 alongside girls from Queenwood, consolidation of our Lunchtime clubs program, led by Year 6 boys, and structured leadership opportunities for all Year 6 boys
Our partnership with Queenwood has been nurtured, including our combined athletics carnival, trips to Terrey Hills, sporting days, shared exhibitions of learning, and of course the Year 6 disco.
Powerful engagement with sustainability initiatives has occurred. Next year we will utilise Sports Coaching Manuals developed (for our context) which will support our commitment to a consistently exceptional sporting experience.
Teaching and Learning at Mosman Prep is cutting edge, focusing on foundational and future proofing skills and dispositions, and evidence based data informed practice
Pastoral Care and Wellbeing is the foundation of any community Boys need to be happy and feel they are connected, that they belong, and are valued before they can truly engage in learning Staff and parents also need such an experience Our Pastoral Care Committee has done a superb job in supporting boys, staff, and parents
Amongst our traditional highly successful events in 2024, we held outstanding events including the Winter Ball, Prep Family Fun Day, Father and Son Golf Day, and Back to School Old Boys event which saw approximately 80 Old Boys from Years 7-12 return to Prep for a BBQ, old time games, and reminiscing.
On the property front, the School Council has been working with Mosman Village Church over the past period on the lease extension for the Hall, Basketball Court, and connected spaces As we have awaited, our focus has been on improving the functionality and aesthetics of the Mosman and Terrey Hills properties, this year including, amongst other things, new carefully researched learning space furniture which is supporting our Learning Model Other Property Projects are progressing well in the design and compliance stages, as we await finalisation of the Church lease
We are committed to providing an exceptional education for boys, empowering them to thrive, and thank the Old Boys Committee for their faithful support, especially Ben Jeavons-Fellows (President), Tommy Evans (Vice-President), Michael Cooper (outgoing Secretary), and John Wardman (Treasurer) in 2024
The key goal for the OBU this year has been to improve our database so as to ensure communications are reaching Old Boys on their preferred platform While there is growing engagement on the LinkedIn page, we identified that a substantial number of emails were missing, inactive or were Old Boys’ parents' old email addresses A campaign email was sent out to all email addresses that appeared to be the parents, and from there we've seen an uptick in subscriptions to the database So thank you to all those who have updated their details!
While the Annual Dinner was postponed this year, we were greatly enthused by the turn out of Old Boys at the Drinks held at the Oaks on Friday 8 November A refreshed interest in the OBU was well received, where OB's from the 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's swapped stories and caught up on fond memories. Many ideas on engagement into the future were tossed around, and in that moment, a WhatsApp group was formed. We hope that this will lead to more and more active Old Boys and many more connections formed.
So, if you're not already connected, please click on the links below to ensure you're in the loop on all platforms! Look out for communications in the new year regarding the re-scheduled Annual Dinner, and other updates.
C E L E B R A T I N G O L D
B O Y S
Ambrose Hennessy (alumni 2018) recently completed the HSC, having graduated from Riverview During 2024 he achieved the distinguished feat of Under 19 World Cup Rowing Gold medalist (coxed 4, Canada) Ambrose was our Speech Night speaker this year, sharing messages about character, compassion, and embracing opportunity with our community He was interviewed by his Kindergarten buddy, Levi Pearce (Year 6, 2024). Ambrose finished by playing Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’ on his saxophone and then accompanying the Prep Jazz Band in their concluding Speech Night piece.
Mark Rothery (Alumni 2010) last year won the World Universities Debating Championship. He has also just completed his final year at Oxford University (B Phil in Philosophy). Since winning the Prep Hartman Cup back in 2010, he has been debating all through high school, Sydney University and Oxford.
Debating, which commenced for Mark at Prep, has very much paid off, metaphorically in the case of helping with clarity of thought and expression in all of the essays written over the years, and quite literally, in that he personally credits it with helping him through scholarship interviews.
It has also offered terrific opportunities for meeting fascinating people from all over the world, taking him to competitions in Malaysia, Bali, Thailand, Spain, Ireland, Bulgaria, and Vietnam in addition to the UK and Australia, and New York.
Richard Lowry (Alumni 2013) recently returned from Scotland with two ‘Pipes and Drums’ Band trophies (2nd place at the European Championships and a 3rd place at the World Championships). Mark currently teaches at the Scots College.
Richard Corbett (Alumni 1957) You will no doubt be very sad to hear that Richard Corbett (Alumni 1957) recently passed away Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Sallyann, and his family
Richard attended Mosman Preparatory School from 1952 to 1957 He later served on the School Council and was President of the Old Boys Union As a member of Council, he was instrumental in the acquisition of land and the subsequent development of the Central Learning Space at the main school campus, and the Terrey Hills Outdoor Learning Centre. The ‘Richard Corbett Playing Fields’ at Terrey Hills have been named in his honour.
Richard’s passion for Mosman Prep, including the School’s faith foundations, were outworked in his tireless support of the School. We remain extremely thankful for his life, vision for the School, and countless hours he invested for its betterment.
S O M E L I N K S O F
I N T E R E S T
Update Details: http://eepurl.com/iMkqUE
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mosman-prep-old-boysmpobu-889221209/
WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/GOlgTfWjQf96bD3uqnSIeg
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S T A Y C O N N E C T E D
W I T H M O S M A N P R E P
Website: www.mosmanprep.nsw.edu.au
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mosman-church-of-englandpreparatory-school-limited/
Instagram: instagram.com/mosmanprep
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MosmanPrepSchool/
I M P O R T A N T
D A T E S
Throughout the year we offer a program of events, please consult our website for further details.
https://www mosmanprep nsw edu au/commu nity/old-boys-union